Can the K3.3 focus on anything in the air (not just birds)

I spent a few hours today looking for Otters without success and was surprised qat the swarms of tiny midges that were in clouds above the water surface.

They are not uncommon (Chironomus plumosus) but there were clouds of them around so I decided to see if I cut get a decent shot with the K3.3 which is quite a tool when it comes to focus and tracking of birds.

The insects are about 10mm and never stay still in the air (like a Hover Fly) and are chaotic in their "aeronautics"




It seems the K3.3 has no limits

And the lens that enabled the K3iii to do it was...??

Steve

My favorite Pentax masterpiece - F4 300 DA*

Not quite as small as your midges, but had good success with the K3iii, my 150 - 450 seems to be welded to the camera at the mo

Dragonflies in flight




Otters




B52's




U2's

Fabulous set Chris ; the Dragonfly is particularly stunning; can’t beat Pentax glass and now we truly have a premium action /wildlife camera in the K3.3.

Great shots guys.

That B-52 looks like it has been fitted with the latest in defensive aids...a smokescreen.

There will be calls to ban those on purely environmental grounds!

regards

Karlo

That's impressive . I've tried similar with that lens and the original K3 - and failed miserably.

Steve

Just having a play in the garden in the excellent warm weather with the K3iii and the 150 - 450.

Hoverfly in flight, they don't stay still at all and change direction faster than a typhoon jet

Hand held, manual focus ISO 400 - 1/800 sec - F7.1 plus a decent crop - equiv FL of 510mm

That's not a hover fly, it's a bee fly! And while you're right about them changing direction impressively quickly, they can stay still for long periods when they find the right spot - usually over a warm patch or looking for a suitable hole in the ground.

Nice shot by the way.

Steve

Super shot - the detail is superb and clearly the 150-450 is another Pentax masterpiece in the right hands.

A great capture - insects in flight could become a cult thing Given they are always around

These are all brilliant, and a tribute to the photographers. The 150-450mm lens is great for larger insects like butterflies as it can focus relatively close but far enough away not to disturb them, and get that beautiful soft background.

Its pretty good for small insects as well, although finding and then keeping the critters in the viewfinder on the wing can be tricky, honing the technique more